State lawmakers should release federal aid now

Why is $1.3 billion sitting in the (state) rainy day fund when people are suffering? Why are people being asked to be patient? We need answers.

For a long time now politicians have talked about the importance of building local food systems that can feed everyone in our island home.

For a long time community groups, nonprofits, our farmers and our producers have been working on just that goal.

We have made progress, but the pandemic has highlighted how much more needs to be done. It’s time for politicians to wake up to the reality we encounter every day, and move from making speeches to timely action.

Putting $1.3 billion in federal aid intended to help struggling, hungry families into the rainy day fund at a time when people are facing their third month without a paycheck is utterly unfathomable.

We have worked to get fresh, local produce and products to people who need them. But our farmers and producers also need to have a loyal and committed customer base to ensure they can plan, grow and continue to provide food for everyone long-term.

But developing such a base means ensuring the economic health of our communities. People must make enough to be able to buy regularly. But when people are asked to stay at home and not go to work, how are they supposed to function as reliable customers?

State lawmakers need to understand that the pantries at home are bare because the bank accounts are empty.

In the March/April period alone, several nonprofits working together were able to reach about 350 households across Kauaʻi. Over 1,000 people received about 1,400 boxes of produce over the course of seven weeks. We distributed hundreds of bags of produce to kupuna and families on the North Shore. There are many community groups doing similar work.

What is absent is state government leadership.

This is no time to be playing political games with who controls the aid sent to Hawai‘i under the (federal) CARES Act. (State) Senate President (Ronald) Kouchi has always lent a ear when we needed kokua from the Legislature in the past. I hope he will this time, too.

Can we count on him to bring together his colleagues to address the needs of the people of Kauaʻi and all of Hawai‘i with more urgency than they have demonstrated thus far?

His leadership will matter with state House Speaker Scott Saiki, with state Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz, Ways and Means Committee chair, and state Rep. Sylvia Luke, House Finance Committee chair, in persuading them to release the federal aid now.

People are reaching the end of the capacity to endure more waiting. People who were living paycheck to paycheck before the pandemic have no buffer to help them weather this crisis. The stress is taking its toll on the island in terms of rising rates of domestic violence. The houseless situation can only get worse.

Government is supposed to ensure the well-being of its citizens. We respectfully ask that the leaders of the state House and state Senate take stock of what they are not doing.

They should take stock of the suffering so many families are experiencing. If they do that, and see what we see, we are confident that they will release that aid without further delay. There is no time to waste.

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Ted Kawahinehelelani Blake is a resident of Koloa.